Homeless Census: The Annual Point in Time Count

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that communities receiving HUD funding for homelessness intervention and prevention services conduct an annual census of the homeless population, called a Point-In-Time Count. This census becomes the basis for ongoing HUD funding and can be used to advocate for changes in the local community safety net. The count is conducted in communities across the country, all contributing to the national assessment of need. The count generally occurs in late January and involves a multi-pronged approach in this community: social service agencies that provide emergency, transitional or permanent supportive housing to the homeless are asked to report the number of beds they have available, the number of beds that are filled, and the number of people on their waiting lists on a specific day. In addition, surveys are conducted at soup kitchens, emergency shelters, on the street and in encampments. These surveys help us determine how many homeless people are unable to find adequate shelter and what their concerns and needs are. Click on the links below for the Point-In-Time Counts for the last ten years for Central Virginia. Click here to find out more about HUD’s expectations of the annual count: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/library/webcast101006/point_in_time_slides.pdf